Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Now that summer is over we are back to the tasteless, anemic, tomatoes from the grocery store. Sigh. I wanted to make a tomato sauce to go with a recently purchased spaghetti squash, but knew that the tomatoes this time of year leave something to be desired. Enter slow roasting. I was amazed--this process brought out more flavour than I ever could have imagined. Combined with the vermouth, this sauce is bursting with tomatoy goodness and is the perfect complement to the flavour and texture of the squash. Obviously, this recipe needs a bit of planning. I roasted the tomatoes the day before and kept them in the fridge until I needed them.

METHOD1. Slow Roasted Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Gently toss tomato wedges and garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 3.5 to 4 hours, until well-roasted, wrinkly, but still with a moist centre. Peel the garlic and chop.2. Roasted Spaghetti Squash: Cut a small hole in the squash to let steam escape. Roast at 375 degrees until soft to the touch. This will depend on how big you squash is, but generally about 1.5 to 2 hours. Cut open, let cool a bit, then remove squash strands with a fork. Toss in a bit of margarine and season with salt and pepper.3. Sauce: Heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and saute for a few mins, until softened. Add a generous splash of vermouth and cook for a few mins more, until nice and soft. Add more vermouth, if needed. Add roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, diced fresh tomato, and 1 cup of vermouth. Let simmer for 10 mins or so, until sauce is thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over squash.

Believe it or not, I have yet to try spaghetti squash. I've been meaning to for quite some time now, and this sounds like the perfect first recipe for me to make! I love the idea of slow roasting the tomatoes to bring out their flavor.